Visiting the Sky Garden in London means enjoying a panoramic view of the city without paying an entrance fee, while staying nice and warm behind a huge glass wall.
Located at the top of the skyscraper nicknamed the Walkie Talkie, at 20 Fenchurch Street, this hanging garden lets you see London's main landmarks from 155 meters up (about 509 ft). You can go up there for free with a reservation, wander around the different terraces, spot The Shard, Tower Bridge, St Paul's Cathedral and the London Eye, then sit down for a drink or a meal in one of the bars and restaurants.
In this article, I'll explain how to book the Sky Garden, how to get there, what to look at once you're at the top, and how to choose between the Sky Garden, The Shard and other viewpoints in London. The idea is to help you decide whether this visit suits your travel style, and to easily slot it into your London itinerary.
- The Sky Garden is a panoramic garden right at the top of the Walkie Talkie skyscraper (20 Fenchurch Street), with a 360° view over London.
- Access to the Sky Garden is free, but you must book a time slot in advance online for the standard visit.
- Plan to spend about 1 hr to 1 hr 30 on-site to walk around the terraces, take photos and possibly have a drink.
- The building is located in the City, a few minutes' walk from Tower Bridge, the Tower of London and several Underground stations.
- You can also access the Sky Garden via its bars and restaurants (Sky Pod Bar, City Garden Bar, Darwin Brasserie, Fenchurch Restaurant), sometimes with more flexible opening hours.
- It's an excellent free alternative to the paid viewpoint at The Shard, especially if you're traveling with family or on a tight budget.
- Meet at the Walkie Talkie, 20 Fenchurch Street in London
- Sky Garden in London: how does the free visit work?
- The view from the Sky Garden: what exactly can you see?
- Bars and restaurants at the Sky Garden: how to choose?
- Sky Garden or The Shard: which viewpoint to choose?
- Practical info to plan your visit to the Sky Garden
- The traveler's memo for the Sky Garden in London
Meet at the Walkie Talkie, 20 Fenchurch Street in London
The Sky Garden is located at the very top of the Walkie Talkie skyscraper, at 20 Fenchurch Street, right in the heart of the City of London and just a stone's throw from the Thames.
The story starts in the southern part of the City, not far from Tower Bridge and the Tower of London. The neighborhood is dominated by office buildings, suits and ties, cafés that open early in the morning, and heavy weekday traffic, which creates an interesting contrast with the more relaxed atmosphere you find once you reach the top.
For a long time, there was a fairly discreet 25‑story skyscraper here, reaching 91 meters high (about 299 ft). It was replaced by a much more imposing building, completed in summer 2014, which has 34 floors and rises to about 160 meters in height (about 525 ft). When you arrive on foot via the small streets of the City, you will quickly see its distinctive silhouette towering over the neighboring buildings.
The architect Rafael Viñoly, originally from Uruguay, designed a surprising skyscraper whose top is wider than its base. This is not just an aesthetic quirk: the higher the floors, the more expensive the rents in this kind of building. By widening the upper part, you increase the "premium" surface area to rent… and the profitability.
This very distinctive shape earned the skyscraper the nickname "Walkie Talkie", which you will sometimes see on tourist maps. It's very easy to spot from the south bank of the Thames: when I was walking along the river, its unusual silhouette clearly stood out behind the cranes, as if someone had placed a big silver walkie-talkie in the middle of the City.
As often happens with this kind of highly visible construction, the Walkie Talkie has sparked debate in London. Some residents and lovers of the London cityscape feel that it spoils the historic skyline of the City, while others enjoy its futuristic side and the activity it brings to the area.
It has also made headlines for more unexpected reasons, linked to the impact of its windows on the temperature of the surrounding streets. The curvature of the building, combined with its very glassy façade, concentrates the sun's rays toward the ground. Temperature readings have shown peaks reaching around 117°C (about 243°F) at certain paved spots: enough to melt plastic parts on parked cars.
Several vehicles parked nearby were damaged, and a journalist even filmed himself cooking an egg using the heat reflected by the skyscraper. Faced with these very concrete problems, the city of London had to install a system of awnings on the southern side of the tower to limit the "oven" effect.
Sky Garden in London: how does the free visit work?
The Sky Garden is a free panoramic garden at the top of the Walkie Talkie, but you can only access it by booking a time slot in advance and going through strict security checks.
At the top of 20 Fenchurch Street, the Sky Garden spans the building's top three floors and offers a 360° view of London beneath a huge glass roof that shelters you from the wind and rain. So you are in a sort of modern, cathedral-like hall, open to the sky, rather than in a "classic" garden with lawns and large trees.
To visit this panoramic platform, it is essential to book in advance on the official website. The process is simple: you choose a time slot, enter the names of everyone in your group, and then receive a confirmation by email.
"Public Garden" tickets are still completely free, but demand is high. In general, new slots are released online a few weeks in advance (usually 3 weeks) and are snapped up quickly, especially for sunset times and weekends. During my own trip, I really felt like I was booking concert tickets: I was at my computer as soon as the slots opened to be sure of getting the time I wanted.
On weekdays, they sometimes accept a few walk-in visitors without a reservation, but it is very hit or miss and mostly at very quiet times. At the weekend, you really cannot rely on that: booking online is the only reliable option if you are set on going up. Also take the time to spell each person's first and last name correctly, as they can be checked at the entrance.
On the day, head to the visitor entrance at 20 Fenchurch Street, where an area is set aside for welcoming Sky Garden visitors. You start with a line supervised by staff, a bit like at the airport. This is where the atmosphere changes: you leave the street to enter a quieter, more insulated area, under the watchful eye of security guards.
The security checks are comparable to those at a departure terminal: you have to show a photo ID, show your booking confirmation (on your smartphone or printed), place your bag on a conveyor belt, and walk through a security gate. The whole process is fairly smooth, but allow a little leeway around your time slot.
Once you have completed this step, you head to the elevator area. Two express elevators are reserved for the Sky Garden and take you up to the top floors in just a few seconds. The ascent is so fast that your ears may pop slightly, which heightens the sensation of changing levels. When you step out, the restrooms are right next door, which is convenient if you are arriving straight from a long walk around London.
The main Sky Garden space looks a lot like a large, light-filled airport hall: a journalist from The Guardian once used this comparison, and I found it very accurate when I arrived. You are in a vast glass volume, with steps, planted areas, places to sit, and fairly natural circulation between the different viewpoints.
If you come here to admire a spectacular garden, you might be slightly disappointed. Yes, there are plants, terraced flowerbeds, a few trees, and a nice variety of foliage, but it is not a botanical garden comparable to Kew Gardens. The main attraction of the Sky Garden is the view and the experience of being in this bright space facing London.
Do you have to pay to visit the Sky Garden in London?
The "standard" visit to the Sky Garden is free, but certain time slots (especially for the bars and restaurants) require either a minimum spend or a specific fee.
The great thing about the Sky Garden is that it offers a free panoramic viewpoint, which is rare in London. If you book a time slot to visit the public garden itself, you don't pay anything in advance or on site, unless you order something at a bar or restaurant.
At the same time, the Sky Garden regularly offers time slots reserved for bar and restaurant customers (Sky Pod Bar, City Garden Bar, Darwin Brasserie, Fenchurch Restaurant). Certain morning or evening times are therefore only accessible if you book a table or a "Sky Pod", with a minimum spend per person. Prices and minimum-spend requirements change regularly, but you should generally expect a minimum spend per person (in pounds) for these more "premium" slots.
I'd recommend checking the current conditions on the official website before booking a specific time slot for brunch, a pre-dinner drink, or dinner, as the rules can vary depending on the day of the week, the time, and the place you choose inside the Sky Garden.
How long does a visit to the Sky Garden take?
Plan on spending about 1 to 1.5 hours to go up, walk around the terraces, take your photos, and enjoy the place without rushing.
In its visitor information, the Sky Garden sometimes states that the length of stay is limited to around one hour. On paper, this helps regulate the flow of visitors and avoid overcrowding at peak times. In practice, during my visit, I didn't see any strict control over how long people stayed: once you're at the top, you're generally free to explore at your own pace.
An hour is more than enough to do a full circuit of the different viewpoints, look at the main landmarks with or without binoculars, take plenty of photos, and stop for a few minutes at a table to watch the city. If you decide to have a drink or a meal on site, you'll naturally stay a bit longer.
The view from the Sky Garden: what exactly can you see?
From the Sky Garden, you can take in most of London's major landmarks in a full 360°, from Tower Bridge and the Tower of London to Westminster, The Shard, the City, and Canary Wharf.
The gigantic glass hall of the Sky Garden is wrapped in picture windows on all sides of the building. As you stroll along the walkways and indoor terraces, you can pick out the sights one by one, with the sense that you are rediscovering London from a new angle.
Looking out toward the Thames, you can clearly see the HMS Belfast, the warship turned floating museum, moored between London Bridge and Tower Bridge. Seen from above, you get a better sense of how it fits into the urban landscape, between modern quays and glass buildings.
Right next to it, you notice the very recognizable silhouette of City Hall (the former headquarters of the Greater London Authority, which has since moved), a rounded building that looks a bit like a glass bubble set on the riverbank. From up there, its curved lines contrast with the more rectilinear buildings that surround it.
Looking further along the Thames, you spot London Bridge Hospital, a private hospital housed in a former brick warehouse, right next to St Olaf House. The latter is considered the first Art Deco building in London, built between 1928 and 1932, and from the Sky Garden you can clearly see its characteristic vertical lines and its bas-reliefs.
Turn slightly and The Shard comes into view, the shard-of-glass-shaped skyscraper that dominates the south bank of the Thames. You can see its sharp tip very clearly and the stack of its levels, which house offices, a luxury hotel (the Shangri-La), and a paid observation deck. The Sky Garden clearly acts as a free "competitor" to The Shard: The Shard offers a different experience, more focused on the pure panorama and large picture windows, but the difference in price is significant.
When you step out onto the outdoor terrace on the east side, you are facing Tower Bridge. The bridge stands out clearly above the Thames, with its two large neo-Gothic towers and its blue walkways. From this height, you get an even better sense of its role as a gateway to East London and the redeveloped docks.
From the other end of the terrace, you discover another part of the London skyline. You can make out the London Eye, the Ferris wheel that dominates the South Bank, as well as Big Ben (or rather the Elizabeth Tower, the clock tower of the Palace of Westminster), which peeks out above the cranes and surrounding buildings. The Houses of Parliament and the white towers of Westminster Abbey complete the picture, with the British flag flying at the top of the palace.
On the opposite side of the Sky Garden, St Paul's Cathedral dominates the view. Its large gray dome stands out among the modern buildings, and you can clearly see the symmetry of its two towers, as well as the overall structure of the building.
Nearby, the Gherkin appears almost at eye level. This glass-covered, pickle-shaped skyscraper isn't open to the public for panoramic visits, but from the Sky Garden you can really appreciate the diamond-patterned glass façade.
Further around the panorama, the Tower of London comes into view. I already really like this kind of medieval architecture when I am at ground level, but seen from above, the fortress takes on another dimension. You get a better sense of how it is organized around several concentric walls, with the towers, ramparts, inner buildings, and the moat, now filled with grass.
If you look further toward the horizon, you can also very clearly see the Canary Wharf skyscrapers, another major business district of London, as well as St Katharine Docks, a small marina tucked just behind Tower Bridge. The Thames winds through all of this, with its successive bridges, its boats, and the contrasts between the former docks and the new buildings.
What is the best time to go up to the Sky Garden?
The best time really depends on what you're looking for: soft morning light, maximum visibility during the day, a colorful sunset, or London lit up at night.
Around midday, the light is often stronger and more "flat," but visibility is at its best: you can see a long way to the east and west, and the main landmarks are easy to spot even if you don't know the city well. It's a good option if you're visiting with children or planning to combine it with other nearby sights.
At the end of the day, especially around sunset, the city turns a warm orange and the reflections on the Thames are beautiful. It's also a very popular time: slots fill up quickly, especially from April to September when the days are long. If you enjoy photography, it's a very appealing option, as long as you book in advance.
In winter, if you go up in the late afternoon or early evening, you'll see London at night, with its illuminated bridges, the London Eye changing color, and the City's towers sparkling with thousands of tiny lights. The atmosphere is very different from daytime and gives you the feeling of discovering a completely different city.
Bars and restaurants at the Sky Garden: how to choose?
The Sky Garden is home to four main places where you can eat or have a drink (Sky Pod Bar, City Garden Bar, Darwin Brasserie, Fenchurch Restaurant), each with its own atmosphere and price range.
Quick comparison of places to drink or eat at the Sky Garden
To help you pick the option that best matches your travel style, here is a table summarizing the main differences between the bars and restaurants at the Sky Garden.
| When to choose this place? | Place | Type of experience | Estimated price level | Atmosphere | Main highlights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| If you want a drink with a view in the main space, without necessarily having a full meal. | Sky Pod Bar | Panoramic bar, snacks | €€ | Lively, very busy | View on the Thames side, access at certain times without a garden ticket, large outdoor terrace. |
| If you prefer a slightly quieter spot to have a drink in the garden. | City Garden Bar | More intimate bar, light meals | €€ | More relaxed, less crowded | View on the Gherkin side, signature cocktails, good alternative to the Sky Pod Bar. |
| If you are looking for a brasserie-style meal, brunch, or Sunday roast with a view. | Darwin Brasserie | Brasserie, breakfast, lunch, brunch, dinner | €€€ | Friendly, smart casual | Extended opening hours, vegan options, well-regarded Sunday roast and brunch. |
| If you want to mark a special occasion with a fine dining dinner. | Fenchurch Restaurant | Fine dining restaurant, tasting menus | €€€€ | Elegant, more formal | Carefully prepared cuisine, tasting menus, private room available for groups. |
The Sky Pod Bar
The Sky Pod Bar is the signature bar in the Sky Garden, set in the heart of the large glass atrium with direct access to the outdoor terrace overlooking the Thames.
This bar operates a bit differently from the garden itself: it has longer opening hours, and some time slots are accessible even without a Sky Garden visit ticket. It is a good backup option if you were not able to book the free visit and still want to go up for the view.
The exact opening hours change regularly, but the idea remains the same: early morning slots for coffee or breakfast, then evening slots for pre-dinner drinks or cocktails. Mornings are usually quieter, with more of a panoramic café feel, while in the evening the Sky Pod Bar turns into a cocktail bar with music and low lighting.
As for the menu, the choice is very broad: soft drinks, smoothies, teas and coffees, beers, wines, spirits, liqueurs, as well as a few things to nibble on. During the day, it's more about simple snacks (chips, pastries, small bites), while in the evening you can order charcuterie or cheese boards, vegetarian boards, elaborate cocktails, and champagne.
The Sky Pod Bar gives you access to an outdoor terrace with a direct view over the Thames. This is one of the highlights of the place: you can step outside with your drink to enjoy the fresh air and admire the view of Tower Bridge, the Tower of London, and the quays on the south bank.
In the evening, the access rules change: minors under 16 are not allowed in the Sky Pod Bar. So if you are having dinner in another Sky Garden restaurant with your children, you will need to go straight through to the restaurant without stopping at the bar. During the day, families are welcome and the atmosphere is quieter.
The City Garden Bar
The City Garden Bar is a second, more discreet bar, tucked away at the back of the Sky Garden on the Gherkin side, and often less crowded than the Sky Pod Bar.
If you walk through the main Sky Garden space to the far end, you will come across this slightly more intimate bar. You will find the same basic menu (hot drinks, cold drinks, alcohol, a few snacks) but with a more relaxed pace, especially during the day.
The City Garden Bar is generally open continuously from late morning until the evening, with a menu that includes signature cocktails and a small selection of light dishes (soup of the day, toasted sandwich, a few simple options). It is a good compromise if you would like to enjoy a drink with a view while avoiding the very busy atmosphere of the Sky Pod Bar.
The Fenchurch Restaurant
The Fenchurch Restaurant is the Sky Garden's fine-dining option, with tasting menus, refined cuisine, and a more upscale atmosphere.
This restaurant, located on one of the upper levels of the Sky Garden, has built a solid reputation over the years. It offers tasting menus, often made up of several courses, as well as vegan options that are fully integrated into the menu. You can check out sample menus on the official website to get a sense of the current culinary inspiration.
The Fenchurch Restaurant is open for lunch and dinner, continuously from Monday to Sunday, usually with a first lunchtime service (starting from late morning) and a second in the evening, running until late.
The restaurant also has a private room for around fifteen guests, used for corporate events or important family occasions (birthdays, celebrations, etc.). If you are looking for a memorable dining experience with a view of London, the Fenchurch Restaurant can be a very good choice, bearing in mind that prices remain high compared with a standard brasserie.
The Darwin Brasserie
The Darwin Brasserie is Sky Garden's panoramic brasserie, ideal for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner in a more relaxed atmosphere than the fine-dining restaurant.
When it first opened, the Darwin Brasserie received mixed reviews, but it has significantly improved its food and service over the years. Today, it offers a varied menu with modern brasserie-style dishes, vegetarian and vegan options, and a good balance between quality and setting.
Its opening hours are very extensive:
- In the morning: breakfast service generally from 7:30 a.m. on weekdays and from 8 a.m. on weekends.
- At lunchtime: "classic" lunch service on weekdays and brunch on weekends, over a wide time slot in the middle of the day.
- In the evening: dinner served from early evening into the night, with slightly later hours on Fridays and Saturdays.
The Darwin Brasserie serves well-regarded brunch menus and the classic British Sunday Roast, served here in a panoramic setting. It is an interesting option if you would like to combine a full meal with a view of London without paying fine-dining prices. Personally, I really like this spot for brunch, especially for first-time visitors to London.
Sky Garden or The Shard: which viewpoint to choose?
Sky Garden is the friendly, free option for a panoramic view of London, while The Shard offers a purer, more spectacular but paid experience.
Many travelers hesitate between Sky Garden, which is free but requires advance booking, and The Shard, which is paid but slightly higher and offers an experience more focused on the view itself. Your choice mainly depends on your budget, how much you are willing to plan ahead, and the kind of atmosphere you are looking for.
To help you decide, here is a comparison table.
| Criterion | Sky Garden | The Shard |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free with reservation | Paid ticket (one of the most expensive viewpoints in London) |
| Height | 155 m (about 509 ft) | 244 m (about 801 ft) |
| Experience | Indoor garden with bars, restaurants, and panoramic terraces. | Dedicated observation deck, entirely designed for admiring London. |
| Atmosphere | Relaxed, you can easily stay to have a drink or a meal. | More contemplative, the visit is generally shorter. |
| Weather | The fact it is free limits disappointment if visibility is only average. | Bad weather can be frustrating given the ticket price, even though there is a guarantee if visibility is zero. |
| I recommend it if... | You are looking for the best value for money or are traveling with family. | You want to go as high as possible and have a spectacular experience. |
Personally, I really enjoyed Sky Garden alongside London's other major attractions: it is a place where you can take your time, look out over the city, talk, without feeling like you are being "rushed through" a set visiting route. If you are on a limited budget, the Sky Garden is the obvious choice.
Practical info to plan your visit to the Sky Garden
The Sky Garden is free with advance booking, easy to reach by public transport, accessible to people with reduced mobility, and located close to several major London attractions.
Clearly, you don't go up to the top of 20 Fenchurch Street for the garden itself, especially if you have already visited places like Kew Gardens. You mainly go there for the view of London, which is truly beautiful, for the free admission, and for the atmosphere of a suspended urban garden.
You can take as many photos as you want, zoom in on London's iconic landmarks and rediscover them from another angle. Depending on the season and the time you choose, you might see a sunset over the Thames, or the city lights gradually coming on.
If you have a DSLR, security might bother you a bit; I've already been asked to stop taking photos because they thought I was a professional photographer!
The Sky Garden is wheelchair accessible, with lifts to the upper floors and accessible main walkways. It's a visit that works just as well for couples as for families or groups of friends.
Opening hours, closures and maintenance days
The Sky Garden is open every day with long opening hours, but some days are reserved for maintenance or private events.
As a rule, the Sky Garden opens early in the morning and closes in the evening, with time slots that can vary slightly depending on the day of the week. The time slots offered when you book take these hours into account, which saves you from having to do complicated calculations.
Sometimes the Sky Garden is temporarily closed for maintenance or for private events (corporate evenings, partial privatizations, etc.). These "Maintenance Days" (generally the first Monday of each month) are listed on the official website, often in a section dedicated to opening hours and access. Before planning a visit at a specific time during your stay, I would recommend taking a quick look at this page to check that the day you've chosen is indeed available.
How to get to the Sky Garden?
The Sky Garden is very well served by the London Underground and several bus lines, which makes it easy to include in a sightseeing itinerary.
20 Fenchurch Street is very easy to reach:
- A few minutes' walk from Monument Underground station (Circle Line and District Line).
- Less than a 10-minute walk from Tower Hill (Circle Line and District Line), Aldgate (Circle Line and Metropolitan Line) and Bank (Central Line, Northern Line, Waterloo & City Line).
From Tower Bridge or the Tower of London, it’s an easy walk into the City. You quickly arrive on Fenchurch Street, a fairly busy street on weekdays, with lots of people coming and going to the offices. The Walkie Talkie is easy to spot thanks to its rounded shape and its height.
What to do near the Sky Garden before or after your visit?
The area around the Sky Garden is full of historic sites and riverside walks along the Thames, making it a pleasant stopover during a day of sightseeing.
Very close by, you can visit other iconic London landmarks:
- The Monument, the tall column commemorating the Great Fire of London in 1666, which also has a paid observation platform accessible via a spiral staircase.
- St Paul's Cathedral, which I really recommend visiting, both for the interior and for the dome, which offers another viewpoint over the city.
- The Tower of London, where you can delve into the medieval and royal history of the British capital.
You can also extend your walk along the Thames, crossing Tower Bridge to reach the South Bank, or heading up toward London Bridge, Borough Market and Tate Modern. The Sky Garden fits in very well as part of a day dedicated to East London (the City, Tower Bridge, docks, South Bank).
The traveler's memo for the Sky Garden in London
Here are answers to the most frequently asked questions about visiting the Sky Garden in London, to help you finalize your plans.
In short, the Sky Garden is a great option for a visit if you are not afraid of heights and enjoy seeing a city from above while staying sheltered from the wind. With free admission, a variety of viewpoints, and on-site bars and restaurants, it's a place that fits easily into any stay in London, whether you're there for a short city break or a longer trip.
If you are looking for other elevated viewpoints in London, I recommend my selection of spots where you can enjoy a lovely view of the English capital.
